Systems, apparatus and methods for secure and efficient data transmission across local area networks

ABSTRACT

In some embodiments, a method includes establishing a connection between a digital content control device that is part of a first LAN and an RCM server. A first authentication code is transmitted from the digital content control device to the RCM server via the network connection such that the RCM server: a) validates the first authentication code, and b) transmits a second authentication code to the digital content control device via the network connection. Using the first authentication code and the second authentication code, a secure two-way communication channel is established between the digital content control device and the RCM server. A set of auxiliary content is received at the digital content control device and from a content provider of a second LAN via the RCM server to be presented with the available programming content on the at least one media device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/949,302, filed Sep. 21, 2022, and titled “Systems, Apparatus andMethods for Secure and Efficient Data Transmission Across Local AreaNetworks,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/673,430, filed Feb. 16, 2022, and titled “Systems, Apparatus andMethods for Secure and Efficient Data Transmission Across Local AreaNetworks,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/369,101, filed Jul. 7, 2021, and titled “Systems, Apparatus andMethods for Secure and Efficient Data Transmission Across Local AreaNetworks,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/106,466, filed Nov. 30, 2020, and titled “Systems, Apparatus andMethods For Secure and Efficient Data Transmission Across Local AreaNetworks,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/576,087, filed Sep. 19, 2019 and titled “Systems, Apparatus andMethods For Secure and Efficient Data Transmission Across Local AreaNetworks” (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,856,054, issued on Dec. 1, 2020), whichclaims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/733,914, filed Sep. 20, 2018 and titled “Systems,Apparatus and Methods for Secure and Efficient Data Transmission AcrossLocal Area Networks,” each of which is incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application generally relates to efficient data transmissionacross local area networks, and in particular to methods and apparatusthat enables media devices to communicate with media content providersin a secure and efficient manner.

BACKGROUND

Content producers such as television networks deliver their products toconsumers with little or no ability on the part of consumers to control,alter or manage the delivery and/or consumption of the content. Someknown control boxes on a local area network (LAN) can access websitesresiding on the LAN, but may not be able to readily access websites noton the LAN for security reasons (e.g., the LAN may not allow crossdomain access). Cross domain access refers to programmatic access (e.g.,via a computer program written in a language such as Javascript) to awebsite on another domain from one domain. Cross domain access can leadto security compromises, however, as a user accessing a website on oneLAN may in fact be unknowingly sending data to and receiving data fromanother site on a different LAN that may be compromised in some way. Toprevent such adverse consequences, cross domain access may be deniedbetween websites operating on different LANs, or cross domain access maybe allowed to selected sites on a “safe list.” “Socket programming” withdirect connection to a third party website can also be implemented. Eachof these solutions has its own drawbacks including a user's inability tocreate/access the “safe list” or the requirement on websites to converttheir websites to program sockets. Thus, a need exists for improvedsystems, devices and methods that allow devices, such as set-top boxes,to securely access sites and/or content across domains to safelytransmit and/or receive data.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, a method includes establishing a connection betweena digital content control device that is part of a first LAN and an RCMserver. A first authentication code is transmitted from the digitalcontent control device to the RCM server via the network connection suchthat the RCM server: a) validates the first authentication code, and b)transmits a second authentication code to the digital content controldevice via the network connection. Using the first authentication codeand the second authentication code, a secure two-way communicationchannel is established between the digital content control device andthe RCM server. A set of auxiliary content is received at the digitalcontent control device and from a content provider of a second LAN viathe RCM server to be presented with the available programming content onthe at least one media device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system for remotely managingcontent delivered to a local network area (LAN) including a set ofdevices coupled to the LAN, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method of remotely managingcontent delivered to a local network area (LAN) including a set ofdevices coupled to the LAN, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is flowchart illustrating a method of establishing a securetwo-way communication channel between a server and a digital contentcontrol device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In some embodiments, the methods and systems disclosed herein allow theremote and seamless management of live content inside display devices.In some implementations, this may be accomplished by allowing a localarea network to establish communication with smartphones without theneed for any special hardware and/or software and still comply withcross domain browser communication protocols and/or restrictions.

In some embodiments, a method includes establishing a connection betweena digital content control device and a remote content management (RCM)server via a network connection. The digital content control device ispart of a first local area network (LAN). The first LAN is operativelycoupled to at least one media device. The method further includestransmitting a first authentication code from the digital contentcontrol device to the RCM server via the network connection such thatthe RCM server, during operation and after receiving the firstauthentication code: a) validates the first authentication code, and b)transmits a second authentication code to the digital content controldevice via the network connection. The method further includesestablishing, using the first authentication code and the secondauthentication code, a secure two-way communication channel between thedigital content control device and the RCM server to receive and sendmessages. The method further includes receiving, via the RCM server, anindication of available programming content from a content provider tobe presented on the at least one media device of the first LAN. Thecontent provider being part of a second LAN that is connected to the RCMserver. The method further includes receiving a set of auxiliary contentat the digital content control device from the RCM server via thenetwork connection and to be presented with the available programmingcontent on the at least one media device, based on at least one of theindication of available programming content, a location of the firstLAN, a location of the second LAN, a set of user feedback, or a time ofdisplay of content.

In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a memory of a remote contentmanagement (RCM) server and a processor of the RCM server. The processoris operatively coupled to the memory. The processor can be configured toestablish a connection between a first local area network (LAN) and asecond LAN. The first LAN is operatively coupled to at least one mediadevice and a digital content control device, and the second LAN isoperatively coupled to a set of content providers. The processor can beconfigured to validate a first authentication code received from thedigital content control device, and send a second authentication code tothe digital content control device via the network connection. Theprocessor can be configured to establish a secure two-way communicationchannel between the RCM server and the digital content control device toreceive and send messages that include at least one of the firstauthentication code or the second authentication code. The processor canbe configured to receive a set of indications of available programmingcontent from the set of content providers of the second LAN and to bepresented to the at least one media device of the first LAN. Theprocessor can be configured to provide a set of main content associatedwith the set of indications of available programming content and a setof auxiliary content associated with the set of indications of availableprogramming content, to the digital content control device and to bepresented on the at least one media device such that the digital contentcontrol device does not cause a perceptible blackout when updating theat least one media device to present the set of main content and the setof auxiliary content.

In some embodiments, a non-transitory processor-readable medium of aremote content management (RCM) server, stores code representinginstructions to be executed by a processor. The code includes code tocause the processor to establish a connection between the RCM server anda digital content control device via a network connection. The digitalcontent control device is part of a first local area network (LAN) andthe first LAN is operatively coupled to at least one media device. Thecode includes code to cause the processor to transmit a firstauthentication code from the RCM server to the digital content controldevice such that the digital content control device validates the firstauthentication code and transmits a second authentication code to thedigital content control device via the network connection. The codeincludes code to cause the processor to establish, using the firstauthentication code and the second authentication code, a secure two-waycommunication channel between the RCM server and the digital contentcontrol device to receive and send at least one of a Hypertext MarkupLanguage (HTML) file, an Extensible Markup Language (XML) file or aJavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file. The code includes code to causethe processor to receive a set of indications of available programmingcontent from a set of content providers to be presented to the at leastone media device of the first LAN. The set of content providers is partof a second LAN that is connected to the RCM server. The code includescode to cause the processor to provide a set of main content associatedwith the set of indications of available programming content and a setof auxiliary content associated with the set of indications of availableprogramming content, to the digital content control device and to bepresented on the at least one media device such that the digital contentcontrol device does not cause a perceptible blackout when updating theat least one media device to present the set of main content and the setof auxiliary content.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system for remotely managingcontent delivered to a local area network (LAN) including a set ofdevices (also referred to herein as “media devices”, or “multi-mediadevices”) coupled to the LAN, according to an embodiment. Each devicefrom the set of devices can include but is not limited to, for example,a computer, a laptop, a smartphone, a tablet, a television (TV), a videowall, a projector, a jumbotron, and/or the like. In some embodiments, aremote content management (RCM) sever 102 can be connected to one ormore local area networks (LANs) 104 a-104 n that interconnect a set ofmulti-media devices such as television sets 106 a-106 n,computers/tablets 108 a-108 n, personal devices such as smartphones 110a-110 n, display monitors, and/or the like. In some implementations, theconnections (also referred to herein as the “two-way communicationchannels”) 116 a-116 n between the LANs and the RCM server 102 can betwo-way communication channels, facilitated by an operating systemconfigured to allow communication with external servers, for example,via internet and/or networking protocols such as, for example, HypertextTransfer Protocol (HTTP) or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS).For example, the RCM sever 102 (e.g., a processor of the RCM server 102)can establish connection 116 a-116 n with the LANs 104 a-104 n (or morespecifically, the digital content control devices 112 a-112 n within theLANs 104 a-104 n) by sending a signal (via the internet or othernetwork) to establish the connections 116 a-116 n. For another example,the digital content control device 112 a-112 n (e.g., a processor of thedigital content control device 112 a-112 n) can establish theconnections 116 a-116 n with the RCM server 102 by sending a signal tothe RCM server 102 to establish the connections. Optionally the RCMserver 102 can be connected to a set of systems (e.g., devices orcollection of devices), for example, within a LAN 120 (while shown as asingle LAN 120, in some implementations this could include systemswithin multiple LANs). The connections 116 a-116 n can be secured toestablish secured two-way communication channel, as described in furtherdetails herein.

As noted above, the media devices can be television sets 106 a-106 n,computers/tablets 108 a-108 n, personal devices such as smartphones 110a-110 n, and/or the like. In some embodiments, the media devices caninclude other personal computing devices such as a desktop computer, alaptop computer, a standard mobile telephone, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a smartwatch, etc. In some implementations, the mediadevices may include a visual display. For example, the visual displaycan be a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD)display, a light emitting diode (LED) display, and/or the like. In someinstances, the display may be interactive and allow a user to provideinput into the devices. For example, the display may be a touch screen.

In some implementations, the LAN 104 a-104 n can include digital contentcontrol devices 112 a-112 n (also referred to herein as controllers)that can be used to control and/or manage the content that is displayedon the media devices. The digital content control devices 112 a-112 ncan communicate with the RCM server 102 via the connections 116 a-116 n.An example of the digital content control devices 112 a-112 n includes atelevision set-top box or similar media device. In some implementations,the digital content control devices 112 a-112 n can be and/or includeinput interfaces, a processor, a memory, output interfaces, a server, acompute device, one or more antennas and/or other structure that allowthe digital content control devices 112 a-112 n to control/manage themedia devices and communicate with the RCM server 102.

The processor of a digital content control device 112 a-112 n can be anysuitable processing device configured to run and/or execute a set ofinstructions or code such as, for example, a general purpose processor,a central processing unit (CPU), an accelerated processing unit (APU),an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), and/or the like. Insome implementations, the memory can store instructions to cause theprocessor to execute the instructions and/or other modules, processes,and/or functions associated with managing data communication signalssuch as, for example, to ensure one or more data communication signal(s)are received at the input interfaces and properly sent via outputinterfaces, to enforce any size and/or data type restrictions and/or thelike.

The input interfaces of the digital content control devices 112 a-112 ncan be any suitable components, subsystems, and/or devices that canreceive data signals (e.g., interactive communication signals, videosignals, etc.), such as, but not limited to, data transmitted from theRCM server 102 via the connections 116 a-116 n. More specifically, theinput interfaces can include one or more wired and/or wirelessinterfaces, such as, for example, Ethernet interfaces, optical carrier(OC) interfaces, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) interfaces, analoginterfaces, coaxial interfaces, High-Definition Multimedia Interface(HDMI) interfaces and/or the like. In some instances, the inputinterfaces are connected to an internet service provider (ISP) and avideo source (e.g., DVB provider, satellite TV provider, cable TVprovider, TV broadcast antenna, etc.), respectively. In someimplementations, the input interfaces can be, for example, a networkinterface card and/or the like that can include at least a wirelessradio (e.g., a Wi-Fi® radio, a Bluetooth® radio, etc.). The inputinterfaces can receive the data communication signals (e.g., data fromRCM server 102 located on the World Wide Web via an Internet connection,DVB signal and/or the like) through a wired medium (e.g., a coaxialcable, Ethernet cable, HDMI cable, etc.). In some instances, the inputinterfaces can receive the data communication signals through a wirelessmedium (e.g., satellite, Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, etc.). The input interfacescan forward the received data communication signals to the processor ofthe digital content control devices 112 a-112 n for processing.

The output interfaces of the digital content control devices 112 a-112 ncan be any suitable components, subsystems, and/or devices that cancommunicate with the secure two-way communication channel to transmitdata to the RCM server 102. More specifically, the output interfaces canbe operatively coupled to antennas and/or transceivers used to transmitthe data communication signals to the RCM server 102 via the connections116 a-116 n. In some implementations, the output interfaces can be, forexample, a network interface card (NIC) and/or the like that can includeat least a wireless radio (e.g., a Wi-Fi® radio, a Bluetooth® radio,etc.). As such, the output interfaces can transmit and/or receivesignals from the RCM server 102.

The memory of the digital content control devices 112 a-112 n can be,for example, a random access memory (RAM), a memory buffer, a harddrive, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EPROM), and/or the like. In some instances, the memory canstore, for example, one or more software modules and/or code that caninclude instructions to cause the processor of the digital contentcontrol devices 112 a-112 n to perform one or more processes, functions,and/or the like. For example, in some instances, the memory can includea software module and/or code that can include instructions to cause theprocessor to process data communication signal(s) (e.g., received fromthe RCM server 102 via the connections 116 a-116 n). The memory canfurther include instructions to cause the input interfaces and outputinterfaces to send and/or receive one or more data communication signalsassociated with the input to or output from, respectively, theprocessor. In some instances, the memory can also store a set of rulesand/or predefined policies that can be implemented. Such set of rulesand/or predefined policies can be implemented by the processor.

In some embodiments, the RCM server 102 can be configured to establish asecure two-way communication channel with one or more LANs 104 (e.g.,via connections 116 a-116 n). For example, the processor of each digitalcontent control device 112 a-112 n can execute software that isconfigured to cause the processor of that digital content control device112 a-112 n to send an identifier code (also referred to herein as the‘authentication code’) to the RCM server 102 to identify that digitalcontent control device 112 a-112 n. In response, the RCM server 102 cancheck the validity of the identifier code, and if validity is confirmed,respond to that digital content control device 112 a-112 n with anassociated response code. In some implementations, the response code(also referred to herein as the ‘authentication code’) may betransmitted to the digital content control devices 112 a-112 n viastandard communications method (e.g., through a network, such as theinternet (not shown), operatively coupling the RCM server 102 with thedigital content control devices 112 a-112 n). In some instances, theresponse code may not be transmitted with the use of sockets. In someinstances, the transmission of the response code may not be accomplishedby bypassing restrictions on cross-domain access between the LANs 104a-104 n (e.g., by bypassing browser security protocols that enforce therestrictions). Upon receiving the response code, in someimplementations, that digital content control device 112 a-112 n (andparticularly the software operating thereon) can validate the responsecode as one coming from the RCM server 102. The digital content controldevice 112 a-112 n can validate the response code, for example, bycomparing the response code against a set of predeterminedauthentication codes. The response code can be considered valid if thedifference or distance between the response code and a predeterminedauthentication code from the set of predetermined authentication codesis zero (i.e., the response code equals a predetermined authenticationcode) or less than a predetermined value. In some instances, the digitalcontent control device 112 a-112 n can validate the response code bytransforming the response code to a transformed code using atransformation function, and comparing the transformed code with theidentifier code. Messages received from a LAN without the correctauthentication code can be rejected and a response to such messages notsent to the LAN. Thus, the security of the LANs is preserved.

In some implementations, the RCM server 102 and the digital contentcontrol device 112 a are connected via a network connection, and the RCMserver 102 can be configured to transmit a first authentication code tothe digital content control device 112 a via a network connection. Thenetwork connection can be, for example, a radio frequency (RF)communication channel, extremely low frequency (ELF) communicationchannel, ultra-low frequency (ULF) communication channel, low frequency(LF) communication channel, medium frequency (MF) communication channel,ultra-high frequency (UHF) communication channel, extremely highfrequency (EHF) communication channel, a fiber optic comminationchannel, an electronic communication channel, a satellite communicationchannel, and/or the like. The first authentication code can be, forexample, a Hypertext markup Language (HTML) script, an Extensible MarkupLanguage (XML) script, a Javascript Object Notation (JSON) script,and/or the like. The digital content control device 112 a can beconfigured to then transmit a second authentication code to the RCMserver 102 via the communication channel. The second authentication codecan be the first authentication code, an authentication code similar tothe first authentication code, an authentication code derived from thefirst authentication code, and/or an authentication code different fromthe first authentication code. For example, the second authenticationcode can be a generated based on the first authentication code and atransformation function. After the exchanging of the firstauthentication code and the second authentication code between the RCMserver 102 and the digital content control device 112 a, a securetwo-way communication channel can be established. The secure two-waycommunication channel can be established by including or associating atleast one the first authentication code or the second authenticationcode to a communication message over the two-way communication channel.In some examples, the first authentication code or the secondauthentication code can be transmitted in an encrypted format via theconnections 116 a-116 n.

In some implementations, the digital content control device 112 a can beconfigured to transmit a first authentication code to the RCM server 102via a communication channel (as opposed to the RCM server 102transmitting the first authentication code). The first authenticationcode can be, for example, an HTML script, an XML script, a JSON script,and/or the like. The RCM server 102 can be configured to then transmit asecond authentication code to the digital content control device 112 avia the communication channel. The second authentication code can be thefirst authentication code, an authentication code similar to the firstauthentication code, an authentication code derived from the firstauthentication code, and/or an authentication code different from thefirst authentication code. For example, the first authentication codeand the second authentication code could be from a set of predeterminedauthentication codes. After exchanging the first authentication code andthe second authentication code between the digital content controldevice 112 a and the RCM server 102, the secure two-way communicationchannel can be established. In some examples, the first authenticationcode or the second authentication code can be transmitted in anencrypted format via the communication channel.

In some embodiments, the RCM server 102 facilitates “many to many”communication services between digital content control devices 112 a-112n and the external systems 114 a-114 n such as but not limited to remotedatabase services. As such, the RCM server 102 is configured to providesecure communications while overcoming limitations on cross-browserservices (e.g., cross-domain access restrictions). The RCM server 102,for example, can be configured to access remote databases, externalpayment processing systems, smartphone communication networks, and/orthe like, without requiring these services to alter their existingcommunication protocols. The RCM server 102 transforms messages fromthese remote resources into an encrypted format readable by the digitalcontent control devices 112 a-112 n of the LANs 104 a-104 n. Inaddition, the RCM server 102 transforms messages from the digitalcontent control devices 112 a-112 n of the LANs 104 a-104 n andtransmits these messages via an application programming interface (API)of the remote resources or systems 114 a-114 n. The RCM server 102executes these transformations in at least substantiallyreal-time—providing seamless access to the remote resources or systems114 a-114 n while using little or no additional processing capacity fromthe LANs 104 a-104 n. In effect, in some implementations, the RCM server102 acts as an extension of the digital content control devices 112a-112 n of the LANs 104 a-104 n— enhancing the processing capabilitiesof the LANs 104 a-104 n via software rather than, or in addition to,through the use of hardware. In some implementations, the transformationof messages between formats can be accomplished using extensible markuplanguage (XML), Javascript object notation (JSON) and/or the like.

Once the validation process is complete (e.g., using the authenticationcodes), the processor of each digital content control device 112 a-112 n(e.g., executing a program) scans for messages from RCM server 102. Eachmessage can be configured to include an HTML file, an XML file, a JSONfile, and/or the like, and can be configured further to include anauthentication code (i.e., the first authentication code and/or thesecond authentication code). In one example, each message can beconfigured with the authentication code (e.g., the identifier code, theresponse code, and/or another suitable code). The processor (e.g.,executing the program) of each digital content control device 112 a-112n sends messages with valid authentication codes to the LAN (e.g., tothe devices 110 a-110 n, 108 a-108 n, 106 a-106 n on the LAN). In someimplementations, the processor of each digital content control device112 a-112 n refrains from sending messages within the LAN without thevalid authentication codes to the LAN. In some implementations, the RCMserver 102 can be configured to randomly update the authentication codeto produce an updated authentication code, and communicate the updatedauthentication code to the digital content control devices 112 a-112 nto prevent unauthorized entities from sending messages to the LAN 104a-104 n. The RCM server 102 can send messages to and receive messagesfrom the LAN 104 a-104 n in asynchronous and/or synchronous formats. Insome implementations, the choice of messaging format allows the RCMserver 102 to communicate with multiple processors on the LANs 104 a-104n at least substantially simultaneously with little or no latency. Forexample, the processor of a digital content control device 112 a of theLAN 104 a may be updating the score of a baseball game, while theprocessor of a digital content control device (e.g., digital contentcontrol device 112 n) of another LAN (e.g., LAN 104 n) may be updatingresponses from customers on a digital monitor. In such implementations,the RCM server 102 may establish a link between a substantiallyreal-time baseball feed (e.g., within a system 114 a-114 n on a secondLAN) and processor of the digital content control device 112 a of thefirst LAN 104 a. Further, the RCM server 102 may at least substantiallysimultaneously establish a link between a social media database (e.g.,within a system 114 a-114 n on a second LAN) and the processor of thedigital content control device 112 n of the second LAN 104 n. In someexamples, the RCM server 102 can be part of a third LAN (or thirddomain) and establish a secure two-way communication channel to thedigital content control device 112 a.

In some implementations, the capability of the RCM server 102 tofacilitate cross-browser and/or cross-domain communication can alsoallow the LANs 104 a-104 n to benefit from the RCM server's ability toopen multiple communication links substantially simultaneously. Thebrowser can be, for example, the Internet Explorer™ web browser, theChrome™ web browser, and/or the like. The RCM server 102 can also beconfigured to open and/or define a dedicated link to each LAN 104 a-104n (or digital content control devices 112 a-112 n of the LANS 104-104 n)and connect this link to third party services (even if, as in someimplementations, the third party service doesn't offer direct links toclients). This direct connection can be referred to as ‘pushtechnology.’ For example, HTML5 supports socket communications thatallow servers, such as the RCM server, to directly push information to aclient. Many third party resources may not support push/sockettechnology. The RCM server 102, however, can act as an intermediary. Insome implementations, the RCM server 102 can select to push messages tothe digital content control device 112 a-112 n or pull messages from thethird party services. For example, The RCM server 102 can receive arequest to receive a set of auxiliary content from a third party contentprovider, and select to pull to receive the set of auxiliary content.The RCM server 102 can then receive a request from a digital contentcontrol device 112 of the LAN 104 a, and select to push the set ofauxiliary content to the digital content control device 112. The RCMserver 102 can establish a push/socket connection with the LAN (e.g., acontroller of the LAN) as disclosed herein. The RCM server 102 cantransform the messages from the third party service into a formatacceptable by the LANs 104 a-104 n (or a digital content control device112 a-112 n of the LAN), and then push the messages to the digitalcontent control devices 112 a-112 n of the LANs 104 a-104 n via socketprogramming tools. In such implementations, the socket programming toolsmay not be configured to push such messages to the digital contentcontrol device 112 a-112 n of the LAN 104 a-104 n without violatingcross domain or browser restrictions. In some embodiments, the browserfacilitates the transmission of such push messages to the digitalcontent control devices 112 a-112 n of the LANs 104 a-104 n whilepreserving the security of the LANs 104 a-104 n (e.g., using protocolsused by the browser that enable socket communications if thecross-browser restrictions are satisfied).

In some embodiments, the methods and systems disclosed herein facilitatepush communication without the need for each digital content controldevice 112 a-112 n of the LAN 104 a-104 n to: 1) contact each thirdparty provider (e.g., including remote or external systems 114 a-114 n)to ask for that third party provider to create a push link to the LAN;and 2) provide the third party or the server 102 with the InternetProtocol (IP) address of the LAN. This can be beneficial as the thirdparty provider would have to undertake the costs of modifying theirsoftware to provide such links. Further, the methods and systemsdisclosed herein reduce or eliminate the need for the third partyprovider to handle multiple push links to multiple LANs (and to enhanceits hardware, if needed, to accomplish such tasks), thereby reducing orobviating the need for any hardware/software changes on the third partyvendor side. For example, the RCM server 102 can take a single feed froma third party provider (e.g., including remote or external systems 114a-114 n) and define multiple push links to the digital content controldevices 112 a-112 n of the LANs 104 a-104 n, with little or no need forany special and/or custom IP addressing.

In some implementations, as noted above, the digital content controldevices 112 a-112 n are configured to control the presentation ordisplay of digital content on the media devices 110 a-110 n, 108 a-108n, 106 a-106 n that are coupled to the LANs 104 a-104 n. In someimplementations, the digital content is provided by providers (e.g.,including remote or external systems 114 a-114 n) such as televisionnetworks, etc. In some implementations, auxiliary digital content can beprovided by the RCM server 102, and the digital content control devices112 a-112 n can control the delivery and display/presentation of theauxiliary content to the media devices 110 a-110 n, 108 a-108 n, 106a-106 n. For example, the RCM sever 102 can be configured to interactwith one or more external systems 114 a-114 n to obtain data orinformation for use in producing auxiliary content that can be used toreplace or augment the digital content produced by content providerssuch as television networks. The one or more systems can include, forexample, sports feed sources (e.g., live sports, etc.), payment systems(e.g., credit card systems, etc.), game/contest management systems,databases, exchanges (e.g., advertising exchanges, etc.), etc.

In some implementations, the RCM server 102 can access and interact withthese systems/sources and send the information in a format that thedigital content control devices 112 a-112 n can display on media devices110 a-110 n, 108 a-108 n, 106 a-106 n connected to the LANs 104 a-104 n.As such, the RCM server 102 is configured to serve as a “middle person”and reduces or eliminates the need for the LANs 104 a-104 n to directlyinteract with the external or remote resources or systems 114 a-114 n.Further, the interaction between the digital content control devices 112a-112 n of the LANs 104 a-104 n and the RCM server 102 may be on analmost as-needed basis, and some information may not be shared betweenthe two entities. For example, the digital content control devices 112a-112 n of the LANs 104 a-104 n may have the ability to displayinformation on television screens 106 a-106 n, digital media screens 108a-108 n or 110 a-110 n, etc. The digital content control devices 112a-112 n of the LANs 104 a-104 n offer commands, for example, to show andhide display images, information, etc. on digital monitors of the mediadevices 106 a-106 n, 108 a-108 n or 110 a-110 n. The RCM server 102sends messages to the digital content control devices 112 a-112 n of theLANs 104 a-104 n to directly execute these commands. The RCM server 102may use or store little or no information on how the digital contentcontrol devices 112 a-112 n of the LANs 104 a-104 n process or executethese commands. For example, the RCM server 102 can send a message tothe digital content control devices 112 a-112 n of the LANs 104 a-104 nto display an advertisement as image on the bottom portion of the TVscreen. The message from the RCM server 102 can include the location(e.g., URL) of the image and the text content of the advertisement. Insuch instances, the digital content control devices 112 a-112 n of theLANs 104 a-104 n can receive the information, retrieve the advertisementand the image can appear as directed. As another example, the messagefrom the RCM server 102 can include text indicating the winner of acontest. The RCM server 102 sends a message with this text content tothe digital content control devices 112 a-112 n of the LANs 104 a-104 n,and each digital content control device 112 a-112 n of the LANs 104a-104 n can execute a command resulting in the text message appearing asdirected on one or more of the devices within that LAN. In someembodiments, the process works in reverse as well. The digital contentcontrol device 112 a-112 n of the LAN 104 a-104 n can send a message tothe RCM server 102, requesting information about the winner of aparticular football game. In such implementations, the digital contentcontrol device 112 a-112 n of the LAN 104 a-104 n may not have and/orstore any knowledge of and/or information about the content or API ofgame-feed providers, but depend on the RCM server 102 for theinformation. The RCM server 102 executes a command to satisfy therequest of the LAN 104 a-104 n. In a further context, the digitalcontent control device 112 a-112 n of the LAN 104 a-104 n can send amessage to the RCM server 102 to process a bill (e.g., credit cardpayment), and the RCM server 102 can handle the API messaging withcredit card processing systems (e.g., at including remote or externalsystems 114 a-114 n) and send an ‘approved/disapproved’ code to thedigital content control device 112 a-112 n of the LAN 104 a-104 n.

In some implementations, a digital content control device 112 a can bepart of a first LAN 104 a that is configured to be connected to at leastone user device (e.g., a television 106 a, a tablet 108 a, a smartphone110 a, etc.), and the RCM server 102 can be communicatively coupled to asecond LAN 120 that includes at least one system 114 a (also referred toherein as the ‘content provider’ 114 a) to receive or to provide accessto, at least one indication of available programming content by the atleast one system 114 a. The at least one indication of availableprogramming content can indicate a live sports feed (e.g., live feed ofa baseball game, live feed of a soccer game), a live gaming feed (e.g.,live feed of computer game competition, statistics of a livepresidential election debate, a live feed of betting on a sport event),a database or programming content, a payment system (e.g., an electronicpayment system), a rewards program (e.g., coupon, special promotion,loyalty program), an online advertising exchange platform (e.g.,advertisement bidding system) and/or any other suitable content. In thisconfiguration, the RCM server 102 is configured to establish a securetwo-way communication channel between the digital content control device112 a of first LAN 104 a and the RCM server 102 and eliminate the needfor the first LAN 104 a to directly interact with the externalresources, remote resources, or systems 114 a of the second LAN 120.

In some instances, users of the media devices 106 a, 108 a, and 110 amay not need to have interfaces established for the media devices 106 a,108 a, and 110 a to access and interact with the external systems 114a-114 n (e.g., access or parse real time feeds, communicate withdatabases, etc.), as the interactions can occur via the RCM server 102and the connections 116 a. As such, security features of the mediadevices 106 a, 109 a, and 110 a do not need to be modified or disabledwhen establishing the secure two-way communication channel between thedigital content control device 112 a of the first LAN 104 a and the RCMserver 102. As such, a secure cross domain access may be realized by thesecure two-way communication channel between a first network domain (thefirst LAN 104 a) and a second network domain (the second LAN 120) viaRCM server 102.

In some implementations, one of the external systems 114 a-114 n can bean online advertising exchange platform or an advertising server. Insome instances, the advertising server can be a dynamic server, and theRCM server 102 may obtain at least one auxiliary content from availableprogramming content that is relevant or related to at least one maincontent from the available programming content being shown on the mediadevices 110 a-110 n, 108 a-108 n, 106 a-106 n of the LANs 104 a-104 n,and transmit in substantially and/or near real-time the at least oneauxiliary content to the digital content control devices 112 a-112 n fordisplay on the media devices 110 a-110 n, 108 a-108 n, 106 a-106 n. Insome instances, the main content can be provided by the RCM server 102(e.g., from an external system 114 a-114 n). In some instances, the maincontent can be provided to the digital content control device 112 a-112n via another method, such as from an external LAN or an externalcontent provider device such as, for example, a satellite televisioncontent provider, a cable television content provider, a streamingtelevision content provider and/or any other suitable content providerthat provides content directly to the LAN (or digital content controldevice in the LAN) and not via an RCM server 102.

In some embodiments, as an example, the external system 114 a caninclude a first set of available programming content including at leastone static content, and another system 114 n can generate a second setof available programming content including at least one dynamic content.For example, the at least one static content or the at least one dynamiccontent can be based on events occurring in a sporting event, based onevents occurring in a live sport feed, based on the location of thefirst LAN 104 a, based on the location of the second LAN 120, based on aset of user feedback, based on time of display of content, and/or thelike. The RCM server 102 can ‘push’ the at least one static contentand/or the at least one dynamic content to the digital content controldevice 112 a-112 n (e.g., TV control box) based on information providedto the RCM server 102 from the digital content control device 112 a-112n (e.g., TV control box). The digital content control device 112 a-112 nthen sends a signal to the TV 106 a-106 n (or other media device 110a-110 n, 108 a-108 n) to display the content on the TV monitors. Inaddition, in some embodiments, RCM server 102 may allow connection withdynamic advertising servers (e.g., a system from the external systems114 a-114 n). Establishments (e.g., restaurants) can offer ads to beshown on their TV. The pricing can be based, for example, on the scoreof the game, the highest bid at the time of the event, and/or the like,which will vary greatly based on the unique circumstances of unique andlive events (e.g., 4th and goal, tie game with only 2 seconds remainingand a time out before the last play).

In some implementations, LAN requests can be passive and/or active. Forexample, active requests can be sent by the digital content controldevices 112 a-112 n of the LANs 104 a-104 n to the RCM server 102 (e.g.,to provide score for a game, provide information on Chevy dealer ad,etc.), and the RCM server 102 can respond to these requests. In someimplementations, the requests can alternatively be passive, where thedigital content control device 112 a-112 n of the LAN 104 a-104 n canindicate to the RCM server 102 that game Xis being televised (e.g.,Redskins/Cowboys). In such implementations, the RCM server may store,based on the authentication code, information about the location of theLAN 104 a-104 n (e.g., zip code, restaurant theme, etc.), and maytransmit commands consistent with the LAN's request based on thisinformation. For example, the command, which is in response to thedigital content control device 112 a-112 n of the LAN's request and maybe based on the information about the LAN 104 a-104 n, can include: 1)display ad, 2) display winner, 3) display game information; 4) displaymessage from patrons (e.g., patrons of an establishment), and/or thelike. In some implementations, the LAN 104 a-104 n can authenticate thismessage from the RCM server 102 (e.g., using the authentication code inthe message) and display as appropriate. The RCM server 102 can at leastsubstantially simultaneously establish links with the external resourcesor systems 114 a-114 n such as but not limited to ad exchanges, contentmanagement systems, etc. passing to the systems 114 a-114 n relevantinformation regarding the content being displayed by the devices 106a-106 n, 108 a-108 n, 110 a-110 n in the LAN 104 a-104 n. For example,the RCM server 102 may share with an advertising server informationabout a particular establishment showing a game and the score of thegame, allowing the advertising server to make a determination on whetherto display an ad or sponsor a contest that can be relevant to the gameand as such impactful (e.g., the information may relate to a bar inToledo that is showing Redskins/Cowboys game and the score is tied inthe 4^(th) quarter, and the advertiser may choose to sponsor a contestabout the ultimate score of the game with a winner receiving theadvertiser's product). Accordingly, the methods and systems disclosedherein reduce or eliminate the need for each LAN 104 a-104 n to interactwith multiple systems 114 a-114 n (e.g., by bypassing cross domainprotocol) including ad exchanges, content management systems, etc.

In some implementations, the auxiliary content provided by the RCMserver 102 to the digital content control devices 112 a-112 n can beinteractive. For example, the content can allow patrons to respond, viadevices on the LANs (e.g., smartphones, tablets, etc.), to dynamiccontent shown on television monitors (e.g., patrons submit answers to aquiz). Further, the dynamic content can be based on events occurringduring sporting events (e.g., a live sports feed) in substantiallyreal-time (e.g., contest on who will hit the next home run, which teamwill win the game, etc.). In some embodiments, as noted above, thecontests offered can be based on events occurring during the sportingevents in substantially and/or near real-time (e.g., with or without anywagering (patron need not lose any money by participating in contest)).In addition, the RCM server 102 allows connection with smartphones (orother devices) of patrons of the restaurant. Patrons can enterwagers/games based on the events occurring in the sporting events. Forusers not connecting via the LAN (a user directly reaching a website ofthe RCM server 102 via a media device, such as a personal computer (PC),smartphone, tablet, etc.), authentication codes can be left blank and,therefore, any messages can be ignored by the local browser on the mediadevice.

In some implementations, the auxiliary content transmitted by the RCMserver 102 and displayed on multi-media devices 106 a-106 n, 108 a-108n, 110 a-110 n, can be displayed along with the content being displayedlive at that moment. In some implementations, the auxiliary content canreplace the content that is live on the multi-media devices. In someimplementations, the display of the auxiliary content along with thelive content or the replacement of the live content with the auxiliarycontent can be at least almost seamless or instantaneous. For example,the time interval between the live content being pulled-off and/orremoved from the multi-media devices and the auxiliary content beingdisplayed on the same multi-media devices (i.e., the duration of the“blank screen”) can be in the range from about 1 millisecond to about 15seconds, from about 5 millisecond to about 10 seconds, from about 10millisecond to about 5 seconds, from about 50 millisecond to about 1seconds, about 100 milliseconds, including values and subrangestherebetween. In the instances where the auxiliary content is added onto the live content, little or no interruption to the live content mayoccur as a result of the addition of the auxiliary content. For example,the interruption may last no longer than about 5 seconds, about 1second, about 100 millisecond, about 10 millisecond, about 1millisecond, including values and subranges therebetween.

For example, in some implementations, the digital content controldevices 112 a-112 n can be configured so as not to cause or create anyblackout to the distribution of the TV/video feed on television sets 106a-106 n, computers/tablets 108 a-108 n, personal devices such assmartphones 110 a-110 n, etc. For example, blackouts may not take placewhen there are changes of content, resizing, hiding or displayingcontent. That is, when an advertisement is added, in someimplementations, the content may be live content and there may be noneed for changes to have been previously scheduled and loaded (as such,live events can be effectively augmented). Further, as discussed above,the LANs 104 a-104 n (or the processors of the digital content controldevices 112 a-112 n of the LANs 104 a-104 n) need not interact with thecontent providers and as such would not access the content feed providerand alter content real-time.

In some implementations, absence or near absence of blackouts may occurby having video zones be set to the same or substantially same framerate and resolution as the display's (e.g., TV's) output. As such,interruptions of the video feed, if present, may not be perceptible tothe naked eye when video zones are changed in size/aspect ratio. In someembodiments, blackouts may not occur or may be imperceptible evenwithout the television sets 106 a-106 n, computers/tablets 108 a-108 n,personal devices, etc., being on the same ISP as the LANs 104 a-104 n.In effect, the digital content control devices 112 a-112 n can serve as“pass-throughs” of the video feeds (or other content) from varioussources received from the RCM server 102 and at a digital contentcontrol device 112 a-112 n in a protocol (or using a command) executableby the digital content control device 102. This is in contrast to TVblackouts that occur for non ipaddress:8008 user data protocol (UDP)accessed buttons via that specific LAN's IP address, including the videofeed (e.g., the live TV broadcast).

In some implementations, the methods and systems disclosed hereinfacilitate the absence or near absence of blackouts or interruptions ofregular content when auxiliary content is added onto regular content.For example, when a chyron is added onto a live programming or content(e.g., as a banner at the bottom of a screen), in some embodiments, theloading of the auxiliary contents (i.e., chyron) may take some timebased on the network bandwidth (e.g., ISP bandwidth, auxiliary contentsize, etc.), but the regular content or live programming may not beinterrupted or there may not be any blackout (at least not a blackoutthat is perceptible to the naked eye). In some embodiments, this latencymay also be smaller than, for example, the latency for live streaming onpersonal computers of live events for real-time ads and gaming. In suchimplementations, the regular programming or content may be re-sized(e.g., with same or similar aspect ratio), moved around on the screen,etc., but with little or no interruption or blackout of the content. Assuch, the methods and systems disclosed herein allow the remote andseamless management of live content inside display devices such astelevision sets 106 a-106 n, computers/tablets 108 a-108 n, personaldevices such as smartphones 110 a-110 n, etc. Display of auxiliarycontent with little or no interruption of regular content (also referredto herein as the main content) is because of the secure two-waycommunication channel established between the digital content controldevice and the RCM server. By using the secure two-way communicationchannel, a user device coupled to the digital content control devicedoes not require to disable or modify security configuration to accessauxiliary content of a content provider via the RCM server, and thusdoes not need to interrupt presentation of the regular content.

In some embodiments, the RCM server 102 is configured to interact withmultiple LANs 104 a-104 n (e.g., multiple restaurants and/or bars) at ornearly at the same time, and the content transmitted to the LANs 104a-104 n may be the same or different between the LANs 104 a-104 n,allowing the RCM server 102 to send unique and/or distinct content toeach LAN based on factors such as location of the LAN, type ofestablishment associated with the LAN, and/or the like.

In addition, in some implementations, the RCM server 102 can facilitateconnection with smartphones of patrons of a restaurant or other venuehaving a LAN 104 a-104 n (with or without a digital content controldevice 112 a-112 n). Patrons can enter wagers/games based on the eventsoccurring in a live sports events. In some implementations, the methodsand systems disclosed herein may allow LANs 104 a-104 n to bypass therestrictions on cross-browser communication that exists between LANs 104a-104 n to communicate with personal communication devices. In someimplementations, personal devices such as smartphones can be providedwith authentication codes to transmit to the RCM server 102 (instead ofor in addition to the digital content control device 112 a-112 ntransmitting an authentication code to the RCM server 102). The RCMserver 102 can then establish a secure two-way communication channelwith the smartphone. In addition, the RCM server 102 can storeinformation on a database indicating with which LAN the smartphone isassociated (through the authentication code provided by the LAN). Insome implementations, the smartphone can then communicate with the RCMserver 102 through a website (provided by the LAN or controller of theLAN) or an app (provided by third-parties such as advertising agencies).The RCM server 102 can then process messages from the LAN 104 a-104 nand send commands, as needed, to third party services. The RCM server102 has the ability to send messages to both the personal communicationdevice and the LAN 104 a-104 n (or the digital content control device112 a-112 n on the LAN 104 a-104 n) for display on a display monitor (ona media device 110 a-110 n, 108 a-108 n, 106 a-106 n). As such, themethods and systems disclosed herein allow for a LAN to establish thesecure two-way communication channel with smartphones (or other devices)without the using any special hardware and still comply withcross-browser and/or cross-domain communication protocols and/orrestrictions.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method of remotely managingcontent delivered to a local network area (LAN) including a set ofdevices coupled to the LAN, according to an embodiment. In someinstances, an RCM sever (e.g., RCM server 102 of FIG. 1 ) can implementthe method of FIG. 2 . At step 202, the RCM sever can establish a securetwo-way communication channel with a local area network (LAN). At step204, in some embodiments, the RCM server 102 obtains from a digitalcontent control device in the LAN, information about the programmingcontent (also referred to herein as the ‘indication of availableprogramming content’) available for presentation or display to devicescoupled to the LAN. The programming content can be programming contentoriginated from an external LAN or an external content provider devicesuch as, for example, a satellite television content provider, a cabletelevision content provider, a streaming television content providerand/or any other suitable content provider that provides contentdirectly to the LAN (or digital content control device in the LAN) andnot via an RCM server 102. At step 206, in some embodiments, auxiliarycontent is generated or selected from a database based on theprogramming content information, location of the LAN, time ofdisplay/presentation of content, etc. At step 208, the auxiliary contentis provided to a digital content control device for displaying alongwith or instead of the programming content on devices coupled to theLAN. At step 208, the RCM server can receive user reaction/feedback toauxiliary content from user devices and/or devices coupled to the LAN,and at step 210, RCM server can analyze user reaction/feedback andcommunicate with the user devices and/or the LAN coupled devices basedon the results of the analyses. In some implementations, such userreaction/feedback is not analyzed at the RCM server and is insteadpassed to a third-party service provider (e.g., in a format associatedwith the third-party service provider) for processing and/or analysis.

FIG. 3 is flowchart illustrating a method 300 of establishing a securetwo-way communication channel between a server and a digital contentcontrol device. As shown in FIG. 3 , the method 300 includesestablishing, at step 301, a connection between a first LAN coupled toat least one media device and a digital content control device, and asecond LAN coupled to a set of content providers. The method 300includes validating, at step 302, a first authentication code receivedfrom the digital content control device, and send a secondauthentication code to the digital content control device via thenetwork connection. The method 300 includes establishing, at step 303, asecure two-way communication channel between the RCM server and thedigital content control device to receive and send messages. The method300 includes receiving, at step 304, a set of indications of availableprogramming content from the set of content providers of the second LANto be presented to the at least one media device of the first LAN. Themethod 300 includes providing, at step 305, a set of main content and aset of auxiliary content to be presented on the at least one mediadevice such that the digital content control device does not cause aperceptible blackout when updating the at least one media device topresent the set of main content and the set of auxiliary content.

While various inventive embodiments have been described and illustratedherein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision avariety of other means and/or structures for performing the functionand/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantagesdescribed herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications isdeemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments describedherein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciatethat all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations describedherein are meant to be an example and that the actual parameters,dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon thespecific application or applications for which the inventive teachingsis/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able toascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalentsto the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is,therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presentedby way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claimsand equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practicedotherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventiveembodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individualfeature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein.In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems,articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems,articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent,is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.

Also, various inventive concepts may be embodied as one or more methods,of which an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of themethod may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments maybe constructed in which acts are performed in an order different thanillustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, eventhough shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

Some embodiments described herein relate to a computer storage productwith a non-transitory computer-readable medium (also can be referred toas a non-transitory processor-readable medium) having instructions orcomputer code thereon for performing various computer-implementedoperations. The computer-readable medium (or processor-readable medium)is non-transitory in the sense that it does not include transitorypropagating signals per se (e.g., a propagating electromagnetic wavecarrying information on a transmission medium such as space or a cable).The media and computer code (also can be referred to as code) may bethose designed and constructed for the specific purpose or purposes.Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include, but are notlimited to, magnetic storage media such as hard disks, floppy disks, andmagnetic tape; optical storage media such as Compact Disc/Digital VideoDiscs (CD/DVDs), Compact Disc-Read Only Memories (CD-ROMs), andholographic devices; magneto-optical storage media such as opticaldisks; carrier wave signal processing modules; and hardware devices thatare specially configured to store and execute program code, such asApplication-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Programmable LogicDevices (PLDs), Read-Only Memory (ROM) and Random-Access Memory (RAM)devices. Other embodiments described herein relate to a computer programproduct, which can include, for example, the instructions and/orcomputer code discussed herein.

Some embodiments and/or methods described herein can be performed bysoftware (executed on hardware), hardware, or a combination thereof.Hardware modules may include, for example, a general-purpose processor,a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and/or an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC). Software modules (executed on hardware) canbe expressed in a variety of software languages (e.g., computer code),including C, C++, Java™, Ruby, Visual Basic™, and/or otherobject-oriented, procedural, or other programming language anddevelopment tools. Examples of computer code include, but are notlimited to, micro-code or micro-instructions, machine instructions, suchas produced by a compiler, code used to produce a web service, and filescontaining higher-level instructions that are executed by a computerusing an interpreter. For example, embodiments may be implemented usingimperative programming languages (e.g., C, Fortran, etc.), functionalprogramming languages (Haskell, Erlang, etc.), logical programminglanguages (e.g., Prolog), object-oriented programming languages (e.g.,Java, C++, etc.) or other suitable programming languages and/ordevelopment tools. Additional examples of computer code include, but arenot limited to, control signals, encrypted code, and compressed code.

Any and all references to publications or other documents, including butnot limited to, patents, patent applications, articles, webpages, books,etc., presented anywhere in the present application, are hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety. Moreover, all definitions,as defined and used herein, should be understood to control overdictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated byreference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in thespecification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to thecontrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”

The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in theclaims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements soconjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some casesand disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with“and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” ofthe elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be presentother than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause,whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when usedin conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer,in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other thanB); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elementsother than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionallyincluding other elements); etc.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should beunderstood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. Forexample, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall beinterpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, butalso including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and,optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated tothe contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of” or, when used inthe claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly oneelement of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” asused herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusivealternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded byterms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of” “only one of” or“exactly one of” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims,shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “atleast one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should beunderstood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more ofthe elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including atleast one of each and every element specifically listed within the listof elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the listof elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally bepresent other than the elements specifically identified within the listof elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether relatedor unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as anon-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “atleast one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) canrefer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including morethan one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements otherthan B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally includingmore than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elementsother than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionallyincluding more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including morethan one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitionalphrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,”“containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are tobe understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limitedto. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consistingessentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases,respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual ofPatent Examining Procedures, Section 2111.03.

1.-20. (canceled)
 21. An apparatus, comprising: a memory of a remote content management (RCM) server; and a processor of the RCM server, the processor operatively coupled to the memory, the processor configured to: establish, using at least one authentication code, a secure two-way communication channel between the RCM server and a digital content control device of a first local area network (LAN) to receive and send messages via a web browser, receive a set of indications of available programming content from a set of content providers of a second LAN and to be presented to at least one media device of the first LAN, and provide, via the secure two-way communication channel, a set of main content associated with the set of indications of available programming content and a set of auxiliary content associated with the set of indications of available programming content, to the digital content control device and to be presented on the at least one media device such that the digital content control device does not cause a perceptible blackout when updating the at least one media device to present the set of auxiliary content with the set of main content.
 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the set of main content is live video content.
 23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the set of main content is streaming video content.
 24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the digital content control device does not alter the set of main content.
 25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein a content provider from the set of content providers includes a social media database.
 26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the set of auxiliary content includes interactive content.
 27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to transform the set of auxiliary content to be compatible with the set of main content such that the set of auxiliary content can be presented with the set of main content without altering a communication protocol associated with the set of main content.
 28. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to provide the set of main content and the set of auxiliary content to the digital content control device such that the digital content control device causes the at least one media device to present the set of auxiliary content with the set of main content at a specified timestamp.
 29. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the secure two-way communication channel includes a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) communication channel or a Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) communication channel.
 30. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the RCM server has access to a dynamic advertising server, and a price of an advertisement to be displayed on the at least one media device is based on context of programming displayed on the at least one media device.
 31. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the set of main content is substantially continuously displayed without a perceptible blackout when at least one of resized or moved on a display of the digital content control device.
 32. A non-transitory processor-readable medium of a remote content management (RCM) server, storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor, the code comprising code to cause the processor to: establish a secure two-way communication channel between the RCM server and a digital content control device via a network connection to receive and send at least one of a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) file, an Extensible Markup Language (XML) file or a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file, the digital content control device being part of a first local area network (LAN), the first LAN being operatively coupled to at least one media device; receive a set of indications of available programming content from a set of content providers and to be presented to the at least one media device operatively coupled to the first LAN, the set of content providers being part of a second LAN that is connected to the RCM server; and provide a set of main content associated with the set of indications of available programming content and a set of auxiliary content associated with the set of indications of available programming content, to the digital content control device and to be presented on the at least one media device such that the digital content control device does not cause a perceptible blackout when updating the at least one media device to present the set of auxiliary content with the set of main content.
 33. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the set of main content is at least one of live video content or streaming video content.
 34. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the set of auxiliary content includes interactive content.
 35. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 32, further comprising code to cause the processor to: transform the set of auxiliary content to be compatible with the set of main content such that the set of auxiliary content can be presented with the set of main content without altering a communication protocol associated with the set of main content.
 36. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the RCM server has access to a dynamic advertising server, and a price of an advertisement to be displayed on the at least one media device is based on context of programming displayed on the at least one media device.
 37. A method, comprising: establishing a secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) two-way communication channel between a digital content control device and a remote content management (RCM) server via a network connection and using at least one authentication code, the digital content control device being part of a first local area network (LAN), the first LAN being operatively coupled to at least one media device; receiving, via the RCM server and the secure HTTPS two-way communication channel, an indication of available programming content from a content provider to be presented on the at least one media device of the first LAN, the content provider being part of a second LAN that is connected to the RCM server; and receiving, via the secure HTTPS two-way communication channel, a set of auxiliary content at the digital content control device from the RCM server via the network connection and to be presented with the available programming content on the at least one media device such that the digital content control device does not cause a perceptible blackout when updating the at least one media device to present the set of auxiliary content with the available programming content.
 38. The method of claim 37, wherein the available programming content is at least one of live video content or streaming video content.
 39. The method of claim 37, wherein the set of auxiliary content includes interactive content, a user of a smartphone can engage with the interactive content using the smartphone.
 40. The method of claim 37, wherein the available programming content is substantially continuously displayed without a perceptible blackout when at least one of resized or moved on a display of the digital content control device.
 41. The method of claim 37, wherein the content provider is a first content provider, the set of auxiliary content being received from a second content provider, at least one of the first content provider or the second content provider includes a social media database. 